On March 5, 1980, “Tonto” died in California from complications of stroke he had suffered in 1976. He was 67.
From 1949 to 1957 and for years afterward in re-runs, literally millions of young TV viewers across North America knew of The Lone Ranger and his faithful Indian sidekick Tonto as they rode across the American wild west, dealing with bad guys. Every week, kids would gather to watch as the Lone Ranger would rise and yell “Hi yo Silver” and gallop away with Tonto following on his horse “Scout” to the music of the William Tell Overture heading off on another exciting adventure.
In the script Tonto was supposed to be from a tribe called the Pottawatamie, however unlike most “Indians” played on the TV or in movies, he truly was a First Nations aboriginal but a Canadian, born on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford Ontario. While “Tonto” was known as Jay Silverheels, an aboriginal sounding name, he real name was Harold J Smith.
As a young man, he was very athletic and played professional lacrosse and was a fairly successful boxer. While on a lacrosse tour in Los Angeles, a then well-known comic star, Joe E Brown, suggested he do a screen test.
Shortly afterward he played in several roles in quite a number of films from Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart, Lust for Gold with Glenn Ford, to The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing in 1973.
However he is best known as Tonto in the Lone Ranger TV series and a couple of Lone Ranger movies.
After the Ranger series ended, Jay Silverheels found he was typecast, and played several aboriginal roles, but he was also good-natured about it, and about his most famous character and often spoofed his role as Tonto in several skits and appearances.
After cremation in California, his ashes were returned to Canada and spread on the Six Nations reserve.
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